My So-Called Live

Gunning for the Top

While there's one shooter that's on everyone's Xbox Live playlist this season, there are plenty of others to keep you busy.

If you're an Xbox gamer who has an Xbox Live account, there's probably only one game you want for Christmas this year: Halo 2. Of course, that's assuming that it hasn't already been monopolizing your free time since its release on November 9th, as is the case with most of the people I know. Hell, the only reason I ever take it out is because GameSpy pays me to play other games. It's safe to say that the sequel to the game that launched a million Xboxes will be the best-selling title on Microsoft's big black box this holiday season, and a big part of that success is due to the game's excellent multiplayer modes, stat tracking, and downright fun gameplay.

While the Master Chief's latest adventure is getting most of the press during these days of crowded malls and tired parents, there are quite a few other games that can satisfying your online jones, especially if shooting other people is your thing. The last few months have seen some high profile shooters hit store shelves, and nearly all of the have some sort of Xbox Live support for those gamers who want to cause a ruckus online. Let's take a look at some of the titles that should find some time in your machine after Halo 2's luster wears off.

Ghost Recon 2

Following in the footsteps of stellar Tom Clancy branded titles like Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow, the latest game featuring the stealthy, deadly special forces squad landed late last month, and it's already become one of the most popular games on Live. There are a bevy of multiplayer cooperative and competitive modes, supporting up to 16 players. The action gets fast and furious during some of the deathmatch games, but there's one gametype in particular that stands above all of the others: Seek and Destroy.

Borrowing bits from some of the cat and mouse modes found in other multiplayer games, Seek and Destroy begins with one player in possession of a powerful, experimental superweapon that allows the user to shoot around corners and scout forward areas, giving them an advantage over their foes. Of course, they also have a marker over their head, so they can be sure that all of the other players will be gunning for them. It's a fun mode, to be sure, one of many in this greatly improved sequel.

Call of Duty: Finest Hour

As the first console title in the hugely popular PC WWII franchise, Finest Hour had some pretty big shoes to fill. Although the single player mode was brief (but still fun nonetheless), the online multiplayer ensured that gamers would still be playing the game long after they finished the adventures of the Russian, American, and British troops they met along the way.